Ekiti State governor and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the June 21 election in the state, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has said that the attempt by his opponents to unseat him will be a labour in vain at the end of the election.
Fayemi said while campaigning in Ekiti South-West Local Government Area, at the weekend, said he was sure of victory at the election.
The governor, who spoke in Ilawe, headquarters of the council area, maintained that “all my opponents would labour in vain in their bid to unseat me.”
Apparently impressed by the crowd of residents of Ilawe, the council area headquarters, that welcomed him to the town, Fayemi said his victory at the poll is a foregone conclusion.
The governor noted that judging by the support and rousing welcome from the people of Ilawe, and the entire Ekiti South West Local Government Area, he would not need much campaign to coast home to victory as the people appreciate what he had done in the area.
Fayemi explained that the past three-and-a -half years of his administration had been marked with unprecedented success in governance and massive transformation of the state through life-changing policies and projects.
On the governor’s campaign train were his wife, Bisi Fayemi, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Dr Adewale Omirin, Chief of Staff, Mr Yemi Adaramodu; and members of the state’s executive council.
Other communities visited by the governor’s campaign train included Ogotun and Igbara-Odo, where he was equally welcomed by large crowd of supporters. The governor also visited the palaces of traditional rulers where he received royal blessings on his re-election bid.
Members of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ekiti South West Local Government Area, also pledged their support for Fayemi’s re-election bid citing his various incentives for their members, the latest being the elevation of principals to Grade Level 17.
The APC flagbearer described Ilawe as a very important town in the state, hence, his administration’s gesture of executing key projects and the empowering of the indigenes of the community.
PDP group replies Oyegun, says no gang-up can stop Ekiti people •As Oyo PDP lawmaker drums up support for Fayose
A socio-political group in Ekiti State, Ekiti State Development Union, on Thursday said no gang-up from the members of All Progressives Congress (APC) can stop the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ayodele Fayose, from winning tomorrow’s election in the state.
Addressing newsmen in Ado Ekiti in reaction to a statement credited to the national chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, that the PDP was planning to rig the election, the chairman of the group, Pastor Yemi Olayinka, said the APC chairman spoke without “a proper knowledge of what the feelings and aspirations of Ekiti people are going into this election.”
Olayinka described as “untrue and unfortunate,” the statement credited to Chief Odigie-Oyegun, saying he had “just continued in the APC norm of spreading falsehood and deceiving people.”
Rather, he said that there were influx of thugs into the state to cause mayhem on the day of the election, and alleged that it was the APC that was allegedly planning to unleash mayhem on the state, saying Oyegun’s allegation was misdirected.
He said, “As we speak, Ekiti State has been invaded with thugs from Lagos, Edo, Ogun and Kwara States while guns have been distributed to leaders of the APC in all 177 wards . Ballot boxes have also been brought to the Government House and we wonder for what purpose they are going to serve.
Meanwhile, a member of the National Assembly from Oyo State, Honourable Segun Odebunmi, has advocated support for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)governorship candidate Mr Ayo Fayose.
Honourable Odebumi, in a press statement personally signed and made available to newsmen in Ibadan, said, the return of Ayo Fayose will not only bring about development for the state but alleviate the suffering of the masses in the state.
According to him, Ayo Fayose meant well for the people of the state and he has his commitment to the course of the Ekiti people when serving as governor and will continue to advance the course of the people of the state .
Odebunmi also said “ the support he gets from the market women, traders and artisans, is a sign that he is truly loved by his people, I personally interacted with them during a visit to Ekiti and I can tell you that they belief in Fayose and want him to returned as a governor.”
While condemning those labelling Fayose as thugs, Odemumi said “labelling someone as thugs is a political gimmick to discredit the image of a credible opposition just to score cheap political goals and I can tell you, he is not, the Fayose that I know is a responsible man and not a thugs”.
Speaking on the movement of some prominent PDP members including the former governor of the state Engineer Segun Oni, to the opposition in the state, Odebunmi said, “that is politics, though one did not expect Segun Oni and others to take such decision at that moment ,but we have nothing to worry about this, the election is sure for PDP as we have the real voters supporting our party”
He, however, urged the security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be observant and ensure that the election is peaceful, free and fair.
Leon Usigbe and Jacob Segun Olatunji – Abuja
THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has advised leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop behaving as if they are running a rebel group, calling on Nigerians to educate the opposition party on issues of political ethics and comportment in a democratic setting.
According to a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, in Abuja on Thursday, “the APC must understand that it is an opposition party and not a rebel group and as such, must jettison all actions and tendencies that portray it in that light.”
The ruling party observed: “Nigerians of all walks of life have continued to express concern over the character of the APC as an opposition party. The APC must realise that in a democracy, being an opposition party demands a great responsibility marked by constructive engagement and propagation of alternatives in the general interest.
“The APC must be advised to undertake a survey of how other opposition parties conduct themselves. Being an opposition party does not in any way confer a culture of irresponsibility; being an opposition party does not in anyway confer a license for promotion of violence; and being an opposition party does not confer use of blackmail and falsehood as means of achieving political control.”
Meanwhile, a ministerial nominee from Ekiti State, Prince Adedayo Adeyeye, has urged the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Atahiru Jega, to monitor closely, the electoral officers assigned with the responsibility of conducting the June 21 governorship election in the state, saying that “there are insinuations that most of the electoral officers posted by INEC to Ekiti, have been compromised by the APC.”
Adeyeye, who maintained that the PDP in Ekiti State was sure of wining the election in a free, fair and transparent atmosphere, urged INEC as well as other security agents to avoid being compromised by the APC.
In a release issued on Thursday, Adeyeye said; “Ekiti people have made up their minds to replace the present government with a PDP government, and we hope that INEC officials will not collude with the APC to circumvent the wish of the people.”
He urged members and supporters of the PDP to monitor closely all the electoral officials in their respective polling units.
Adeyeye said; “INEC is in the eyes of the entire world and we hope Jega will ensure that his field officers do not allow themselves to be used to scuttle the process.
“This is because there are insinuations by Ekiti people that most of the electoral officers posted to Ekiti State for this election are sympatisers of the APC.
“Jega must therefore watch his field men closely so that they don’t soil his image and put Ekiti into chaos because of their own personal greed.”
Fayemi already preparing for tribunal —Fayose
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate and the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, was already preparing to go to the tribunal to challenge results of next Saturday’s election.
Fayose, who said all the frivolous allegations being bandied by the governor and his party, was aimed at preparing the minds of their supporters for an imminent failure in the election,
In a release issued by the Director General, Ayo Fayose Campaign Organisation (AFCO), Chief Dipo Anisulowo, the PDP candidate said Nigerians should be mindful of the antics of the APC, adding that; “The game plan now is to discredit the election results so as to justify their plan to go to the tribunal to challenge the results and the state-owned broadcast station and Adaba FM, a private radio station in Akure, Ondo State, had been positioned to broadcast fake news on Saturday.”
He described as total falsehood, publication by some online media that members of the PDP were arrested in a hotel with fake ballot papers, saying; “what simply happened was that the APC gave security agents false information that PDP members were thumprinting ballot papers in a hotel.
“The security agents stormed the hotel and only found our consultants, who were engaged to train our polling agents. Nothing incriminating was found on them and they were released immediately.”
While calling on Nigerians to disregard any result not authenticated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Fayose said; “We are aware that a certain blogger, was hired by Fayemi to dish out falsehood about us on the internet.
“A sum of N50million has been released to the blogger to coordinate about 40 other bloggers and their assignment started with the lies they spread on the rice that we distributed to the people.
“They have continued with their assignment of propagating falsehood against us, but we don’t care because their lies are not being bought by Ekiti people who have already made up their minds to send Fayemi away from the government house.
“On Saturday, they are going to be spreading fake results, so as to give impression that the election was rigged when the authentic is released by INEC.
Ekiti people clamouring for change —Olubolade
Former Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, has called on Ekiti people to vote peacefully in tomorrow’s election, saying “the people of the state are clamouring for change in the state going by their body language and decision.”
Olubolade, who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune in Ado Ekiti, on Thursday, said the election would be “a great contest between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and for the purpose of democracy, the Labour Party,” pointing out that the candidates of the APC and that of the PDP, had been tested by the people of the state and I think they want a change because it had been very easy for the people to assess them and they have decided.”
According to him, “the PDP has a greater chance of winning tomorrow’s election because our candidate, Fayose, has massive grassroots support and as a PDP member, it would be easy for Ekiti State to key into the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, which will further benefit Ekiti State.”
The PDP leader in Ijero Local Government Area of the state, said the visit of the president, the vice president, senate president and national leaders of the PDP to campaign for Fayose, would also inpact on the election, saying “many people are also wondering why the APC is still working hard to explain the government’s projects to people instead of the projects to be campaigning for him. That is a sign that something is wrong somewhere.”
He said: “As a leader of PDP in my council area, we have campaigned hard and moved round the council area and we have seen that the people are yearning for a change. I hope that now that the APC is already crying against the result of an election that is just about to hold is sending a signal that there would be more cries from them after the election. And we only hope that they would accept the will of the people by accepting defeat in good faith.”
He charged the people of Ekiti State to “ensure that the change they are clamouring for takes place in Ekiti tomorrow,” saying “by so doing, the state will benefit more from the in-coming government of PDP led by Ayò Fayose and the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.”
Bamidele rounds off campaign with road show, denies withdrawing from race
House of Representatives member and Labour Party’s governorship candidate in Saturday’s election, Opeyemi Bamidele, has rounded off his campaign with a roadshow around the state capital, Ado Ekiti and reiterated his assurance of emerging the winner.
Bamide, who toured all major streets in the state capital in a long motorcade, also used the opportunity to debunk rumour about his purported withdrawal from the race.
The roadshow marked end of a 90-day campaign of rallies which Bamidele kicked off on March 23, 2014, at Ido-Ekiti, headquarters of Ido/Osi Local Government Area of the state which had also taken him to virtually all the 132 towns and villages in Ekiti State.
Bamidele, who first addressed his supporters at his Iyin-Ekiti country home, also reassured residents of Ado Ekiti, that he is the best candidate in the race.
He also denied his rumoured withdrawal from the race as handiwork of his political detractors.
Bamidele who was accompanied in the roadshow by party leaders and supporters visited the Ado Ekiti township market among other places.
While appreciating them for their support since he started his rally, Bamidele told voters in Ekiti to come out in large numbers and cast their votes for him in a collective effort to rebirth the state.
He also used the privilege to further sell his party programmes which he described as people-oriented to the people.
TMG deploys 320 observers, employs ‘Quick Count’
An election monitoring group, Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), has said that it is deploying a total of 320 non-partisan observers to Ekiti State to observe the Saturday’s governorship election.
While 300 of the observers are being stationed at specific polling units across the 16 council areas, 20 would be mobile supervisors, saying all will employ what the TMG described as ‘Quick Count’ observation methodology and latest information and communication technology to observe the poll.
Two officials of the group, Lazarus Apir, TMG project manager and Akinbo Timothy, disclosed this on Thursday, in their papers in a training workshop organised by the group for some select journalists.
They said with Quick Count methodology, their field officers would be able to provide real time, representative and statistically valid information on the conduct of the election.
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My opponents plans will be in Vain - Fayemi
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